Help Me Keep Riding Bicycles Year-Round

In reply to dps214 :

I love my Yukon 2, bought it fall of 2020 right before bikes really went crazy, it's fun to ride year round for me. For $699 that's a crazy deal.

I could easily mountain bike in the 20s without a ton of gear. Wool base layer, thermal cycling jacket, something that covered my ears and neck, winter gloves, but not necessarily lobsters, winter bib tights and shorts on top. Oh and dedicated winter mountain bike shoes, because nothing ruins your ride like putting a foot down and punching through the ice to some frosty ass creek water. Road riding, below freezing can get uncomfortable because of windchill. Off road, you kind of stew in your own heat. I'd end many a ride with beardsicles though.

Fat bike!  

adam525i said:

I've ridden a lot in the winter in the past here in Southern Ontario on everything from Road, CX (gravel now) and MTB (also track but that was indoor so doesn't count). 

We get a lot of freeze/thaw cycles here so studded tires are nice (must have for myself). They aren't needed for the first snowfall but when it warms up and refreezes things get really icy. Make sure you can keep your hands/feet warm, mtb will be easier than road/gravel for that as you are protected from the wind and more active on the bike. Lights can really extend your ride times to with the short days, having a bright LED on your helmet and bars turns the night into day and keeps some light on where you're going even if your bars aren't pointed that way yet.

If you're on the road/gravel something with proper bolt on fenders is the way to go as you'll run into sloppy/wet conditions and you'll want to stay as dry as possible. 

For MTB I'd say something a bit simpler than your full suspension is the way to go. The Stache actually looks like a good choice in that you already own it and it has the 29+ tires to handle some snow (just drop pressures way down). I rode many years on my normal MTB just swapping to a set of studded tires, our trails aren't rideable until they are frozen here and falling on ice isn't something I'm fond of. I finally broke down and bought a fat bike in the fall of 2021 and really love it even outside of winter riding, it kind of feels like an oversized BMX bike with monster truck tires, a nice change from a trail bike. During the winter I run studded cake eaters which have enough studs to handle shear ice but not too many that they hurt your speed when not needed (they're surprisingly light for what they are too). The fatbike is nice for a few reasons, it's fully rigid so a simple bike and it can handle any conditions, dry trails, icy trails and softer snow where a regular tire just isn't enough.

I found I was always slow riding in the winter, dropping atleasy 5 km/h average speed when I'd be out on the road, that can be disheartening but the speed always came back once it warmed up outside. For me it was about getting out and putting in the time rather than trying to go fast/far.

 

Quoting the above because I agree with the good advice. I have been riding year-round here in Michigan for a few years, including a daily 5 mile commute to and from work 5 days a week. In the winter, less stuff exposed to salt means more happiness. For me, that means disc brakes, an internal geared hub, belt drive, fully rigid, and studded tires. 

If you're looking to buy a bike that will work in all 4 seasons at a relatively reasonable price, a lot of friends have been going with Priority bikes - all are belt drive and some models even have a Pinion gearbox. Really good stuff. 

In reply to Erich :

I just saw a Marketplace listing for a Priority gravel bike w/belt drive & interally geared hub today, and I was curious about their durability. Thanks for the review!

In reply to No Time :

Works great - thank you for the suggestion.  Battery lasts soooo long.